Grahame Arthur Buckley (1957–2016) was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s.
Playing career
Buckley was graded at the
St. George Dragons
The St. George Dragons are an Australian rugby league, rugby league football club from the St George, Sydney, St George District in Sydney, New South Wales that played in the top level New South Wales Rugby League, New South Wales competition ...
from Peakhurst J.R.L.F.C in 1977 and made his first-grade debut for the St George Dragons in Round 10 of the
1978 NSWRFL season
The 1978 NSWRFL season was the 71st season of the NSWRFL Premiership, Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, and Australia's first. Twelve clubs, including six of 1908's foundation teams and another six from around Sydney compe ...
. Buckley made 59 first grade appearances in total over, a span of seven seasons, which included being involved in the club's 1979 premiership campaign and was a much loved Dragons player of his era. He was a crowd favourite at Kogarah Jubilee Oval, and is remembered as a man who played above his weight.
He later joined the Illawarra Steelers where he played one game during the 1986 season.
Death
After retiring, he later moved to
Wauchope, New South Wales
Wauchope ( ) is a town in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is within the boundaries of the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council area. Wauchope is inland on the Hastings River and the Oxley Highway west of Port Mac ...
. Grahame Buckley was very well respected in the Wauchope rugby league and surf club community. He unfortunately suffered a fatal heart attack doing surf-boat training on
Lake Cathie, New South Wales
Lake Cathie is a town in New South Wales, Australia about 15 minutes drive south of Port Macquarie. At the , it had a population of 4,296.
The Birpai (also known as Birrbay) people have lived in this area for more than 40,000 years.
Commer ...
on 3 March 2016.
Accolades
His surf club, the Wauchope-Bonny Hills Surf Club have named their surf boat rower of the year in his memory.
[Wauchope Gazette 10 June 2019https://www.wauchopegazette.com.au/story/6208673/successful-surf-club-season-ends-with-presentation-night/]
References
1957 births
2016 deaths
Australian rugby league players
St. George Dragons players
Illawarra Steelers players
Rugby league locks
Rugby league players from Sydney
20th-century Australian sportsmen
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